South Maidstone Community Mental Health Team - Kent and ...

Care Co-ordinator
When you receive the service from our
team, you will have a named Care Coordinator
who will be responsible for coordinating
our service. They will also act as
a point of contact for you and your carer
where appropriate.
You can always expect the reasons for any
decisions about your treatment to be
discussed with you.
You can be represented
If you wish, you can expect to have a
relative, friend or other person of your
choice present to support you or speak on
your behalf during any discussion of your
care needs. This person may be from a local
advocacy service.
For more information, please contact the
Team Manager at the South Maidstone
Team, telephone number 01622 741855.
Ways of telling us what you think:
We welcome ideas for improvements to our
service and these can be made either
directly to our staff or Team Manager.
Making a Complaint:
You should initially write to the Trust’s
Chief Executive at the following address:
West Kent NHS and Social Care Trust
35 Kings Hill Avenue
Kings Hill
WEST MALLING
Kent ME19 4AX
All complaints will be carefully listened to
and thoroughly investigated.
Patient Advice and Liaison
Service (PALS)
If you wish to speak to someone not
directly involved in your care, you can call
or write to our Patient, Advice and Liaison
Service (PALS). A team of specially trained
advisors is available to help and represent
you personally. The service is free and
strictly confidential . The PALS team can
be contacted by phoning free on 0800 587
6757 or by writing to:
The PALS Team
West Kent NHS and Social Care Trust
Freepost SEA5463
West Malling
Kent ME19 4BR
Heathside
Community Mental
Health Team
South Maidstone Area
MENTAL HEALTH
SERVICES
FOR OLDER PEOPLE

How to find us
Our team is based at the Day Centre,
Heathside, Heath Road, Coxheath,
Maidstone, Kent ME17 4AH.
Telephone No. 01622 741855.
What are our service aims
Our aim is to promote, maintain and
improve mental health as well as alleviate
distress among you our clients, who are
the older people in the community. We
also aim to enable you to live your life
fully and as independently as possible.
We will achieve these aims by providing a
comprehensive range of services
appropriate to your individual needs as
well as those of your carers where
appropriate.
Who may use the service
Our services are provided to you if you are
aged 65 and over, suffering from any kind
of mental illness and living in the
southern area of Maidstone and its
surrounding area.
Additionally, our services are available to
younger people who are suffering from a
dementing illness such as Alzheimer’s
disease.
What are the arrangements for
using our services
Anyone can make a referral or request the
services of our team, including where
appropriate, your friends, relatives or carer.
Your own request can be received by letter
or by telephone. The service operates from
8.30am to 5.30pm. The office is usually
open 8.30am to 5.00pm and there is an
answer phone for messages outside normal
working hours.
What services do we provide
Our team is multi-disciplinary and has a
wide range of skills. Members come from
both Mental Health Services and Social
Services.
Having received your request for our
services, we will need to contact your GP.
Their agreement will be required before we
can arrange to carryout a formal
assessment.
Assessment and care planning
A member of our team will then contact
you or your carer if appropriate to arrange
a home visit.
All our team members carry identification
so that they can be easily identified and we
ask that you request that they show this
identification to you if necessary.
The purpose of this first home visit is to
assess your individual needs. If it is not
convenient to be seen at home, alternative
arrangements can be made.
We provide a standard assessment process,
which ensures that all relevant aspects of
your needs and circumstances are taken
into account. Following this assessment
and in discussion with you and your carer
where appropriate, we will agree with you
an individual plan of care. This may
include all or some of the following:
• Individual or group counselling
• Psychiatry
• Social Work
• Family Therapy
• Regular support to carers, both
individual and group
• Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy
• Clinical Psychology
• Community Nursing
• Care Management including advice,
training and information on mental
health; further assessment or treatment
as an in-patient; day or respite care.